Improvement in the manufacture of safety-matches



Hclatine-solution \'ariation.... A ii i (J -J) UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

L. OTTO l. MEYER, OF NEVTQW'N, CONNE(."J.I(J'U'l?-.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE. MANUFACTURE OF SAFETY MATCTHES.

specificationforming part of Letters PatentJNo. lll,075, dated January17, loll.

legal-L 'wh-m'n it may concern:

- Be it known that I, L. Or'roIP. Mama, "at

Newtown, county of 'Fairtleld, and State of Connecticut, have inventedcertain Impro\ 'e-' ments in the Manufacture of the Safety-Match, ofwhich the following isa specification;

In the manufactureiof the safety-match for which the patents of June 25,1867 and of April 5, 187 Q, have been granted tome, certain difficultieswere met with. 'After diligent search in market for a suitable gclatineor glue, and after trying various kinds, I did not find any which wouldnot render my matchpas'te more or less irotlrlikeand tooreadilygelatinous, wherefore the dipping process failed to produce with therequisite practical certainty the desired result; and, further, Ihaveob- ,served that even the best gelatines; are apt to cause a certainreaction in my match compound, whereby the matches lose'some of the easyignitibility on theprepare'd surface. 7 The Frenchwhite gelatine offirst quality as formerly found by me inmarket, suited my paste betterthan any other gelatine or glue, even better than J. 8: G. Coxsgclatine; but the French gelatine lately found in market under said nameis a much stronger gelatine and far less suitable in preparing my pasteaccording to my old mode. I am informed that in Europe somematchmanufacturers prefer glue made from reindeer-horns; but such glueIwas unable to find in the New York market, and 1 have no reason tobelieve that it would suit my paste any better than said strong Frenchor Coxs gelatine.

Tim the View oi rendering my match-paste better adapted for dipping, toavoid the froth.

like condition of the paste and any disadvan tage'ous react-ion in thecompound, I have made various experiments and found good success by thefollowing:

Mode first. To prepare the gcla-tine solution by any of the variationsdesignated in the following table. which gives, also. themostsuitablen'oportions by weight.

Gelaiine which easily g .T

G.(.o. stun 2i ZS Distilled Ii 7 1 G (i Acetic acid 1 3-5 2-3 3-5Alcohol........ 1 1

. Temperature in degree-s, Fahrenheit. 70-75 80 i 75 85 The proportionsof water in the above table maybe increased or diminished to suit therequired consistency of the paste. The tom peraiure noted in the abovetable indicates the lowest temperature suitable for grinding and dippingthe pastcif prepared with any of the above-given solutions; and,further, Ihave found most excellent results by the following:

Mode second. To prepare the gelatine with diluted solution of carbonateor bicarbonate I of soda, or with lime-water; butI prefer saidcarbonates, and espeei ally the bicarbonate. By 'a'y'of experiment, Ihave taken said solutions instead of pure water'for dissolving thegelatine; but the best results I have found by the V following process:\Veigh off all the ingredients for my match compound in proportions asgiven in the specification of my aforesaid patents, (but the strong.French white gelatine is preferred by mefor this mode.) lutpurerain-water, about twenty ti mes the weight of the gelatine, in a jar orpot, and dissolve in it carbonate or bicarbonate of soda, one part toeach one hundred parts of water, by weight. Then add the gelatine andallow it to stand in a cool place for about twenty-four hours, or tillthe gelatine has soaked as much as it can without melting or losing itsgood consistency. Said French gelatine will absorb about ten to twelvetimes its weight of water (or of said solution) in twenty-four hours.\Vhile the gelatine is soaking, stir or shake it up from time to time.

When it is sufficiently soaked, pour off the surplus water, whichconta-insimpuritics. (It a solntionof carbonate of soda has beenemployed for soaking, then use plenty of pure water to wash the soakedgelatine till the poured-oft'. water is nearlyfree from alkaline taste.If a solution of bicarbonate of soda has been employed, no washing isrequired.)

Melt the soaked gelatine and then decant or strain it, and let the clearsolution evaporate till 1t has acquired a consistency of about one partof gelatine to two to three parts of water,

by weight. The heat employed'for meltingand evaporating may be as highas just a little below the boiling-point. periment, I have employed heatbelow 158 Fahrenheit when the gelatine had been soaked in, a solution ofbicarbonate of soda; but'l have found that a, heat near theboiling-point answers just as well, provided the evaporation is notcarried on further than aforesaid.)

All vessels or pots employed in the preparation of the gelatine are' best to be of salt (Byway of exglazedistoneware or of glazed or enamelediron. The gelatine, after be ng suffieiently v evaporated, isrready tobemixed with the other ingredients. The, grinding of the paste may be doneat atemperature of about 80 Fahr- 'en'heit, and the dipping at about 80to 85 Fahrenheit The match-sticks require no previous dippinginpara-affine; but the nature o1 the wood ought to be destroyed as much,as

possibleby previous exposure to high heat. The drying process is asusual.

I prefer to wax-coat my improved match by the mode designated in thespecification of my patent of April-5, 1870, as variation A',

with slight modifications. The temperature of the matches, to besuitable for dipping, may be 80 Fahrenheit, or higher-may be as high. asthe molten p'araffine, the heat of the molten paraffine'to be about 8-to 10"Fahrenheit above its congealing-point, the depth of the molten1,)aratfine in the dipping-pan .to be about three-fourths of an inch,When the match-stieks are of close-grained wood, paraffine-wax of low aswell as of high congealing-point will answer; butwhaitever itscongealing-poin't may be it may require refining, which I have done byheating it with limewater and agitating both well.

Other partieulars of the prooessare to be foun'd'in the Specification ofaforesaid patents.

\Vhat I desire to secure by Letters Patent,

subordinate to my aforesaid patent of J one 25,

